SC Rockport Chamber Music Festival: Sirena Huang, violin, Drew Petersen, piano

Sirena Huang, Gold Medalist of the 11th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, has been praised by The Baltimore Sun for her “impeccable technique…deeply expressive phrasing…and poetic weight.” She is joined by pianist Drew Petersen, recipient of the 2018 Avery Fisher Career Grant and winner of the 2017 American Pianists Awards.

PROGRAM
BEETHOVEN: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D major, Op. 12, No. 1
DEBUSSY: Sonata in G minor, L.140
CHEN GANG: Sunshine on Tashkurgan
Intermission
GRANT STILL: Suite for violin and piano
YSAŸE: Sonata No. 4
PAGANINI: Moses Variations

SIRENA HUANG, violin
Praised by The Baltimore Sun for her “impeccable technique…deeply expressive phrasing…and poetic weight,” Sirena Huang is one of her generation’s most celebrated violinists. She brings not only technical brilliance and powerful artistry to the stage, but also a profound sense of connection to her audience.

Sirena has received numerous accolades and awards, including Gold Medalist of the 2022 Indianapolis Violin Competition, and was also awarded eight of the eleven special prizes, First Prize at the 2017 Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition, Gold Medalist of the 2009 Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, to name a few.

Sirena made her solo debut with the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra in 2004 at the age of nine and has performed in twenty countries across three continents. She has been featured as a soloist with more than fifty prestigious ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. She has performed in leading venues, including Berliner Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center and the Taiwan National Concert Hall, among many others. She has appeared as a guest artist at many music festivals, including the Marlboro, Ravinia, Aspen, and Newport Music Festivals.

Motivated by a deep wish to inspire peace and harmony with her music, Sirena has performed before world leaders, thinkers and humanitarians. She performed at the Petra Conference for Nobel Laureates in 2006 and at the Opening Ceremony of the “Forum 2000 World Conference” in Prague, among others.

In addition to her TED Talk in 2006, Sirena has been featured on numerous radio and television broadcasts, including WQXR’s McGraw-Hill Young Artists Showcase, and NPR’s “From the Top” as well as several interviews with WNPR, CNBC, WTNH, WTIC, WB20 and Beethoven Radio.

DREW PETERSEN, piano
Acclaimed young American pianist Drew Petersen is a sought-after soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. He has been praised for his commanding and poetic performances of repertoire ranging from Bach to Zaimont. He is the recipient of the 2018 Avery Fisher Career Grant and winner of the 2017 American Pianists Awards and Christel De Haan Classical Fellowship.

As a previous prizewinner of the Hilton Head International Piano Competition, he will return in spring 2024 for the closing concert of the Bravo Piano! Festival. Recent appearances include numerous orchestral and recital appearances throughout the U.S. His 2018 Steinway & Sons release of his first solo recording included music of Barber, Carter and other American composers which brought acclaim by BBC Music Magazine.

A frequent radio contributor, Petersen has performed on McGraw-Hill Young Artists Showcase, From the Top, and Performance Today. He has had profiles in The New York Times, New York Magazine, as well as being part of the documentary “just normal” by award-winning director Kim A. Snyder.

Drew Petersen’s firm belief in the importance of music in contemporary society led to collaborations with Young Audiences NY that presents performances in New York City’s public schools. His appearance in Andrew Solomon’s New York Times bestselling book, Far From the Tree, sparked a nation-wide conversation on raising extraordinary and different children who test the willpower and capabilities of their families and society. Petersen continually advocates for the necessity of classical music and other arts in society, and was named a 2006 Davidson Fellow for his portfolio entitled Keeping Classical Music Alive.